Gaseous discharge device



Aug. 19, 1952 M. A. TOWNSEND 2,607,902

GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE 4 Filed Nov. 21, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! M 7: w F/G.3

v In; W v l lNl/ENTOR MA. TOWNSEND ATTORNEY Aug. 19, 1952 M. A. TOWNSEND 2,607,902

GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed. Nov. 21, 1950 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 7

F/GZQ l i I 200 I 1 I! lnl- /W I l H, Lf i I A I I: I VENTOR 4 W i -'MA. TOWNSEND ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1952 GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE Mark A. Townsend, Berkeley Heights, N. J., as signor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York,-N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 21, 1950, Serial No. 196,782

More specifically, objects of this invention are to simplify the structure of gaseous discharge devices particularly suitable for use as amplifiers, increase the efiiciency of such devices,'obtain uniform amplification over a wide bandof operating frequencies, and enhance the stability of gaseous discharge amplifiers. r

In one illustrative embodiment of this invention, a discharge device comprises an enclosing vessel having therein an ionizable atmosphere, for example a rare gas, and housing an anode and a cathode. The cathode may-be of either 'the glow or thermionic type. I

In accordance and with feature of this invention, an auxiliary or control electrode is provided in 'suchrelation to the anode that the voltage and effective impedance of the cathodeanode gap are controllable by the potential of the auxiliary or control electrode.

'More specifically, in accordance with one feature of the invention, the anode and' cathode are constructed and-arranged so that an anode volt-" age'drop obtains andthe auxiliary or control electrode is mounted in immediate proximity. to

v the'anode whereby its potential is effective to controlthe anode voltage drop.

Two modes of operation to realize this control:

are possible. In one the control or auxiliary electrode is biased at or near cathode potential and the output is in phase with. the input signal. In the other, and preferred, mode, .the auxiliary. or

control electrode is biased at of the order of the floating potential, that is the potential this 'elec-- trode would assume with no connection made to it. Forthis mode, the output signal is substantially 180 degrees out of phase with the input signal. I a Y In one specific embodiment of this invention, the auxiliary or control electrode partly encompasses a linear or rod anode and is'operated at a potential positive with respect to thecathode;

15 Claims. (01. 313-188) and of the order of per cent of the sustaining voltage of the anode-cathode gap.

The invention and the above noted and other features there of will be understood more clearly and fully from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

.Fig. l is a circuit diagram showing the principal components of an amplifier constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is .a' perspective view of a gaseous discharge device illustrative of one embodiment of this invention; e I Fig.3 is a top view of the electrodes in the device'shown in'Fig.2;-

:Figs. 4 and 5 are graphsv illustrating certain principles involved in the operation of gaseous discharge devices constructed in accordance with this invention; 1

Fig. 6 is a graph illustrating the performance of devices of the construction shown in Figs. 2

and 3;

Figs. -'7 and 8am. elevational and plan views respectively of adischarge device illustrative of another embodiment of this invention;

Figs. '9 and 10 are elevational views taken at right angles to each other of a discharge device illustrative ofstill another embodiment of this invention; I

Figs '11 and 12 are graphs depicting typical operating characteristics for devices of the construction illustratedin Fig's. '7 and 8; and ;Fig. 13 is a graph showing typical operating characteristics for devices 'of the construction illustrated in FigsQ9 and 10. e

device illustrated 'in'Figxl comprises a gas filled enclosing vessel Ill having therein a cathode ll, ananode'lZanda control or auxiliary electrode I3. Aninput circuit including a biasing source l4 and resistor 15 is connected between the oath-' ode and control electrode,fland a utilization circuit including the load I6 is connected between the terminals l9 resultin variations in the powersupplied to the load [6. The nature of these variations and the mechanisms accountable therefor willbe appreciated from the following considerations:

When a discharge exists across the anode l2- cajthode H gap, the voltage across the gap is composed essentially of two components. One

Referring now togthe drawing-, thedischarge component is associated with the region in immediate proximity to the cathode and is termed the cathode drop. It is dependent upon the cathode geometry and material, the kind and pressure of the gas filling and the current. This component is independent, for practical purposes, of the size and positionof the anode.

The other component is associated with region in the immediate vicinity of the anode and is termed the anode voltage drop. dependent primarily upon the size and position of the anode.

the

It is- In general, reducing, the anode area or increasing the anode-cathode gap causes."

the anode voltage drop to increase toward a value approximating the ionizing potential Of' the gaps.

These relationships are depicted ;on- Fig. fl 1' which presents the sustaining voltage as a function of gap length, for a constant operating cu-r- I rent, for a typical glow discharge diode. As is evident from this figure,,over.a range of anodecathode gaps up to about :050 inch,.the sustaining voltage. is substantially constant; the anode drop is negligible. For. arange of larger gaps, however, the. sustaining voltage increases with gap length. This increase isattributable tothe increasing anode drop. For still greatergap lengths, specifically.beyond-about 0.090 inch, the discharge becomes unstable and oscillations may set in. i

It has been foundthat'the anode "drop can be varied 'controllably, specifically by van auxi-..

liary or control electrode in proximityto the anode. This is portrayed in Fig. 5., which is a sustaining voltage versus gap length graph simi-. lar to Fig. 3 and for a device of the same constructionv as that having the characteristics shown in Fig. 3 except that it included an auxiliary strip form electrode adjacent .the anode, The third variable, indicated on the individual curves in Fig. 5, is the voltage on the auxiliary or control electrode. For these curves, the operating current was maintained constant.

It will be noted from Fig.6 that for a;,.-given gap the sustaining yolta ge acrossthegap varies with the voltage "of-the control or "auxiliary electrode. For example, for a gap of about-0.038

inch, the sustaining voltage increases from about 110 to 120 volts for a decrease in the potential of the control electrode from 100. to *50 -.volts,

as indicated by the ordinates along lineAB. :As

will be brought out presently, the-current-drawn by the control electrode is extremely small :in

comparison ,to the anode current, for example that power amplification-isobtained. I

The control. of the :sustainingwoltage and,

microamperes in comparison to milliamperes, --so hence, in effect of the-anode gapimpedance, in the manner described above is consistent with and explicable by the following analysis; The, anode drop is attributable to .-a deficiency of ionization of the gas fillingfor. the device inthc immediate vicinity ,of the anode whereby an electron sheath is established. at .or around the anode. The greater the thickness of this sheath, the larger is the drop across it. When the anode is 'of-largearea or close to the cathode as v for the region A in Fig.-4, thesheath is-at most of very small thickness so thattheanode drop 'is negligible.

injected into or through the sheath-:mayfresu lt in ionization which in turn may cause collapse Of the sheath and the Establishment of oscillaf-f l ti'ons.

7 h For a very small area anode or large anode-cathode spacing, as for theuregion C in Fig. 4, the anode drop is highandelectrons 4 For the conditions corresponding to region B in Fig. 4, the sheath aforementioned is controllable in thickness by a potential effective in the immediate vicinity thereof. Specifically, when the auxiliary or control electrode is made negative with respect to the region adjacent the anode, positive ions are drawn away from this space whereby the electron sheath is increased and, consequently, the anode drop is increased. Thus, the effect of the control elec-,

trode upon the anode drop is a function of the control electrode potential.

As has-been indicated hereinabovathe establish ment :of an anode drop of appreciable amsults achieved by this invention can be realized with a variety of specificallydifierent devices.

In general, for any cathode geometry-,; the region corresponding to A in Fig. 4 wherein the anode drop is negligibleincreases in extent as the gas pressure is decreased or as the anode area is increased. The region'A may also be decreased by the presence of any deionizingsurface near the anode such as the tubeenvelope or anelec trode surface operating at a potential below that of the space nearby.

The embodiment of in Figs. 2 and 3 comprises a refr'actory metal cold cathode ll having-a V-shaped -channel therein, a linear-wire refractory :metal anode l2 opposite the open -sid e;of the channel in the cathode-and a refractory-metal auxiliary or control electrode 13, which is oi u' or substantially semicylindrioal shape, and substantially coaxial with the anode .l 2 as seenmost -clearly in Fig; 3.. ,Thecathode, anode and control electrode are mounted in the desiredspatce relation by rigicl,

leading-in conductors 20, ,llkandli respectively,

sealed into thestem 23 of the vessel 10...

In a specific structurathe ;cathode'w'as formed of 0.010 .inch molybdenum. sheets inch. high the openside of the channel inthe lc athode' wa'sli 0.025 inch wide,. the anode vIwas of 0.012 ,inch' molybdenum}. ..,spaced' f substantially; 0.050 inch from the channel inthelcathodea'nd' the control electrode "was of 0.010 inchjsheet' molybdenum having an internal diametero'f subdiameter stantially inch. The gas'filling in-the vessel H! was neon at a-pressureoi 48 millimeters of mercury. 1 I a The amplification characteristic of the specific device described .in thc-Jpreceding paragraph: hereof is illustrated in Fign'fifwhich portrays the, sustaining volta e of, the? anode gap as a" tion ofthe potential of the-controlelectrodedfl;

at an operatin current etc-.4 milliamperes; As

is apparent from Fig; fi for the control electrode; operated at about volts or higher theasus taining voltage is substantially volts. However, as the control, electrode made .less posi v tive the, sustaining voltageincreasest af x r of substantially i .vo1ts at. a control e1e c-' trode" voltage of 40"volts. "Over the range'o'f con this invention illustrated,

acetone ta eeet ee: potentials from 40 to: 100 i. volts Lit will be noted that the sustaining voltage varies regularly with control electrode voltage; ithus, with the device connected ina icircui-t. such as illustrate'd'in Figl the potential across the-load would vary in like manner -for' an input {signal impressed between the terminals I99 r 1 Typical operating parameters-for the specific device above described included in-a' circuit of the configuration illustrated inFig. l-arez anode lbiasllil volts, control electrodebiasSO volts,- resister 45, 800,000 ohms, andresistor l6, 10,000 ohms: For a load or output current of 5.4 milliamperes, the current to" thecontrol electrode is 40'-inicroa;mperes. The power gain for: small input signals,- e.-g. of .theorder Of Z-voltsroot meari'sduare, isab'out 12 decibelsover th'e audio frequency range; specifically; starting from a maximum of 12 decibels at 300 cycles and dropping to9 decibels at 5,000cycles. The input impedance of the device 'is"0.65 megohm=a'nd the sisti ve component of the i output impedanceis negative-and-of the order of 5,000 ohms'decreassomewhat with frequency; e. g. Tacoma-4100 ohms at 300 cycles to .2200ohmsat3,000 cycles. The reactive component of the oi-itputimpedance isinductiveand about 0.25 henry-L if In another specific embodiment of thisinven-a tion illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8, the'cathodel I0 is a fiat'refractory metal plate for exampleof.

molybdenum inch wideby' /4'iinch longsby 0.010 inch thick-mounted opposite the open side of the U-shaped or semicylindrical control' or auxiliary' electrode I30 and having an inner diameter of aboutfz; inch. The anode I201 is a linear rod or wire mounted substantially coaxial ly with the control electrode I30; spaced approxi-- mately .080 inch from the cathode; and theifilling forthe envelope ID was. argon at a pressure of millimeters of mercury. I

Typical performance characteristics for the above described device illustrated in Figs. *7 and 8 are portrayed in Figs. 11 and 12. In Fig. 11 curve X shows the sustaining voltage as a function of the voltage upon the control electrode, and as will be noted is of the same general form as the curve presented in Fig. 6 and described heretofore. Curve Y in Fig. 11 shows the relation between the control electrode current and the control electrode voltage, the floating potential, namely the point at which the control electrode current is zero, lbeing indicated.

Fig. 12 depicts the relation between the resistive and reactive components of the output impedance of the device as a function of the potential of the auxiliary or control electrode. It will be noted that the reactance is inductive and reaches a maximum at a control electrode voltage of about the floating potential. It will be noted also that the resistive component is positive for control electrode potentials below about 84 volts and above about 97 volts and is negative for potentials between these two values also reaching a maximum at about the floating potential.

For the curves presented in Figs. 11 and 12 the main gap current was maintained fixed at 1.9 milliamperes.

In still another specific embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, the cathode 2l0 is in the form of a helix having thereon a coating of thermionic material and supported between leading-in conductors 200 by way of which current for heating the cathode may be supplied. The cathode is mounted opposite a linear molybdenum anode 220 which is positioned substantially at theaxis-of the U-shapedor'substa'ntiab 1y semicylindrical control electrode 230. The cathode may lbe' spacedirom th'eanod'e a distance of 0.010 -inch'- and the :control electrode may be of 0.020inch thick. "fKovar alloy, having 1 an in'-'- her diameter of 0.025-inch'. The vessel l0 ma y have therein' a filli ng of neon at a pressurefofjti'fl millimeters of mercury.

- g Typical performancecharacteristics' for a-d'evice of the construction illustrated'in' Figs: 'Qfand l0 and described aboveare presented in Fig.- 13. In this figure, the curves are'for an operating main gap current of "34 milliamperesfand curve U depicts the relationship between the'contr'ol electrode potential and the sustaining voltage; Curve W presents the relation between control electrode current and potential of this electrode. the-floating potential point being indicated. The general similarity'between the curves-"of- Fig. 13 and thoseof'Fig. 1 1 is apparent! 5 -'For-'a1l of the specific devices-described and in general 1 as v has been pointed out hereinbefore; advantageously the devices are operated with 'the auxiliary-or controlelectrode biased at about the floating potential; 7 Y "pecific-embodiments or this inven v eenshown and describedit vvi be understo d that -they*"are-' but 'illustra" that various mo'dificati'onsmay-ibe made p the scope "and spirit of without departing from this invention."

What is claimed is":- r a 1. A. gaseous discharge device comprising-an enclosing vessel having an ionizable atmosphere therein, acathode and an anode within said vessel, means for ;establishin adischarge between saidanode and cathode such: that. an anode volte a e drop, b a and m n va y ne said voltageg ep, comprising M an; auxilia y "electrode adjacent the discharge '.-gap between saidaanOde andc'athode.

2. A gaseous discharge device in .accordance with claim 1 'wherein said cathode is of the cold. glow type.

3. A gaseous discharge device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cathode is of the heated type.

4. A gaseous discharge device comprising an enclosing vessel having an ionizable atmosphere therein, a cathode and an anode within said vessel, means for establishing a discharge of preassigned current between said anode and cathode, said cathode and anode being spaced such that at said current a substantial anode voltage drop obtains, and means for varying said anode voltage drop comprising a control electrode adjacent said anode.

5. A gaseous discharge device comprising an enclosing vessel having an ionizable atmosphere therein, a cathode and an anode within said vessel, means for establishing an electron sheath adjacent said anode comprising means for establishing a direct-current flow between said cathode and anode suiflcient to produce a substantial anode voltage drop, a control electrode in proximity to said anode, an output circuit connected between said cathode and anode, and input circuit means connected between said cathode and control electrode including source means for biasing said control electrode positive with respect to said cathode at a potential of the order of the floating potential for said control electrode.

6. A gaseous discharge amplifier comprisingtn enclosing vessel having an ionizable atmosphere therein. acathode and ananode withinsaidve r enclosing vessel having an ionizableatniosphere therein. a cold a hode having a hann h ed portion, an anode opposite the, open side ofsaid portion andv spaced from said cathode a dis.- tance suc t at th a pot t a wee said anode. and cathode sufficient to sustain a dis: char e thereb t a su ntial. an de drop obtains. and a ntr electrode ad a e t. said anode r 1 A gaseous discharge device in accordance, with claim 7 wherein said anode is ofgrod term and extends substantially parallel tosaid portion. and; wherein said control electrode is substantiallysemicylindrical and partly encompasses said anode. v p I 9, A gaseous discharge device comprising an enclosing vessel having an ionizable atmosphere therein, a substantially semicylindrical .control electrode within said vessel, a linear rod anode extendingsubstantially along the, axis of said con-; trolelectrode, and a cathode opposite the open side of said control electrode, the anode to cathodespacing being such that at apotential' be.- tween said cathode and anode to sustain adischar e; therebetween a. substantial :anode drop obtains.

.10.. Av gaseous discharge. device in accordance with claim.9 wherein said cathode' isof the cold 8 witmcmi nawherein; sa dreathode so the. heat? edc pe. and comprises. a v.17 .la iieirit isuhst n -y parallektosaidanode- 1 I a v:12. gaseous .discharaede ice comp is ngtan enclosing vessel havingther in-aniline; 011 1 a-pressure of: about fi-mill metem ofmer a cold cathodeand node withinsaidv e1 and spaced adista tw enabout O Q6Qinch a d ill-09.0 inch. and. ont o1.e ect 9deinp oximitytosaidanode.

13. A. as ous; dis harg device comprisinenn enclosin vessel. havin aniline anodeatahout 1:20.-;voltsipos tiveelat etc-said type and has therein a; substantially V-shaped channel the open side of which is opposite and extends substantially parallel to said anode. 11; A gaseous discharge device in accordance enclosing? Y ss lha ine; .a. fillinecf. ar n. at a anodeat; about 1.07 -,voits..positive rel tiveto; aid

cathode, and. means .hiasinasaid contrclseilectrode at about 80. volts..positiverelative o se cathode- .14.; A :easeous .discharee'deyice comprisin n ressure: .abouti 1.5;:mi11imeters .of. mercury, aacold cathodeand zanodewwithin saidvesscl a d spaced.

a distance of, about 31.080. cin h. a contnol l w v trade-adjacent said anode; means biasing cathode; and izmeansi biasing :said .control;e1ectrode at about ;9 5...Vo1ts.:p0sitive: relative :IQI Sfild cathode. 15=A gaseous discharge device. comprisin an: enclosing: vessel having therein :a filling iof-neon at aa-pressureof about: eaimillimetersz of mercury..- an incandescible cathode. and an anodewithin. said vessel ands-spaced. a. distance ;of: about 0;..010. inch,. a control electrode .adjacent'isaid anode; meansbiasing-said anodeat. about 35iyolts positive with respect "tOtSEid. cathode,.;and.-means;hi1 asingsaida control electrode. atabout v16 voltsnositive nelativetosaid cathode.

' MARK A. TOWNSEND;

. Noreferen c ted- 

